From Death to Midgar
by L1ndz
Summary: Warning: Self insert. Here I am driving for the first time with my license, and then I die. Well, almost die. Turns out I can still live, but my body isn't ready for me. So, they send me to Midgar. Yeah, I still don't understand it too well either.
1. Chapter 1

A.N: Almost forgot to say this. Obviously, I don't own anything related to Final Fantasy 7.

"What happened? Where am I?" I asked aloud as I stared around in confusion. Wherever I was it was completely pitch black, not my favorite kind of place, seeing how I'm afraid of the dark. I had been ever since I was young. It's not really the dark that bothers me. It's just knowing that anything could be there, and I would have no idea about it. Someone could be sneaking up behind me with a knife, and I would never know.

"You're dead." A voice finally said answering my question. I quickly turned around in a circle looking behind me, trying to find the source of the voice, but it was impossible. I couldn't see anything, how did I expect to find someone who could be standing meters away from me. The voice sounded masculine, it was fairly deep and wise sounding, like the kind of voice you would hear in an old man, but there was something different about it.

His answer caught me completely off guard. I couldn't be dead, I was right here, thinking and feeling like I normally would. He was probably just some senile old man, who had no idea what he was talking about. No matter who he was, I wouldn't accept his answer for truth. "Well, actually" he started, "you're almost dead, just barely hanging on." If what he was saying was true, then wouldn't I be feeling pain? Death couldn't be this pleasant.

"You're lying." I finally stated, but if he was, then where was I? How come I couldn't remember getting here? I had been driving, and then…

My thoughts trailed off and my eyes widened as I finally recalled what had happened. The bright lights slamming into my car, and all this on my first day driving with my license. I had been excited that day. It was a couple months after my sixteenth birthday because my parents wanted me to get more experience before I went and got my license. I had made some plans with friends and I was on my way to pick them up, and then it happened. According to this guy I had died. Tears stung my eyes, I couldn't be dead. I was sixteen. It was too young.

"No." I said wiping my eye as a couple tears fell. Who wouldn't be upset to find out their whole life had just suddenly stopped. "I can't be dead!" I yelled furiously. "I can't be!" My voice cracked a couple times, while I yelled because I was crying. At least he wouldn't be able to see the tears. Wherever he was taking me, I wouldn't go. I wasn't ready for heaven or wherever I was supposed to go now. The only place I was going was back to earth and to my body. "Take me back!" I screamed, trying to use anger to cover up the sadness.

"Wait, wait." He said calmly, which made me feel like strangling him. How could he be calm while I was here crying hysterically? I was dying and he didn't even care! "You have another chance." Another chance? I looked towards him hopefully. So, it wasn't time for me to die. I really had the chance to go back. "The thing is, your body isn't ready for you. Go back now, and the pain will surely kill you." Well, that didn't sound too good.

"So, what? You expect me to just wait around here for however long it takes my body to heal?" I asked him. Usually I was a fairly shy person, at least with people I don't know, but when an emotional trauma like this hit, it was hard to maintain that personality.

"No, of course not. That would take ages. You see, time moves much slower here, so slow you would think it's standing still." That still didn't explain where I was, but that wasn't really important right now. I waited silently for him to continue. I still wanted to know my way out of here. "There is one place we can send you, but it could be very dangerous. Remember, if you die there, then you die in the real world as well. So, it's either stay here for what will feel like a few hundred years, or go there. The decision is yours." He explained to me.

So, I could be safe and bored for what would feel like an eternity or go to whatever place he was talking about. Well, I had never been a very patient person. "Let's go then." I said after a few minutes of debating my answer. My voice held uncertainty when I talked, a little afraid of what this danger could be. I heard what sounded like someone clapping and light shot up from the ground. My arm instantly covered my eyes. As I removed it I still had to squint. What was going on?

Wait, if it was light, then I should be able to see the man I was talking to. Now, where was he? No where in sight. A voice called out from all around me, the same voice I had been speaking to minutes before. "Well, you can't wear that where you're going." I looked down at my outfit, my eyes were finally beginning to adjust to the light. What was wrong with it? It was a simple pair of jeans along with a pink hoodie with a track foot on the front with the name of my school under it. Who was he to criticize my outfit?

The lights flickered to pitch black again, and when they came back on I was wearing different clothes than I had been earlier. My eyes filled with confusion. How had that happened? Why did he have to change my outfit anyway? I looked down at my new outfit and decided it was pretty comfortable and didn't look too bad either. A pair of lime green shorts fit tightly around my waist, while a white tank top covered my upper body. On my feet I wore a pair of white boots that laced up about half way up my shin. My wrists were covered with a few silver bangles, while my neck had a small lime green choker necklace. I nodded slowly, accepting the outfit. It was one of my favorite colors, so I had no problem with it.

"Good luck." The voice said and then everything went black once again. I must have closed my eyes and fainted during this because when I woke up I was on my back looking at the sky. Wait, the sky? Then, that meant I was back on earth. Wow, that had been quick. What about all the danger he had been telling me about? My nose wrinkled in disgust as I took in the scent around me. It smelled almost like what you would smell when a puff of exhaust from a car blew in your face, just a little milder than that. I didn't live in the country, actually I lived about an hour away from a big city, this place was much more polluted than anywhere I had been.

I slowly picked myself up off the ground, my body aching a little. Maybe this was the pain left over from the car crash, but that still didn't explain where I was. My eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of where I was. They landed on a large tower surrounded by a fence. Now, that looked pretty familiar to me, but from where? Where had I seen that before? I searched through my memories, trying to find the one containing this image. It turned out to be useless. That's when my eyes landed on the sign. As soon as I finished reading my mouth dropped. "You have got to be kidding me." I turned away once, and then looked back at it. It was impossible. I must have read it wrong. My eyes scanned the words once again, 'Welcome to the Sector 7 slums'.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N: Once again, I own nothing related to Final Fantasy 7.

Okay this can't be real. It's probably just some huge fan place. I let out a nervous laugh. Heh, those crazy fans. They'll do anything to make it seem like they're in the Final Fantasy world. That had to be it. There was no other explanation, but something still didn't seem right. How would fans be able to build a huge tower like the one standing in front of me? My gaze followed the tower from the base of it up to the top. It had to be at least ten stories high.

I began to pace back and forth, one of the nervous habits I had. I also ran my hand through my dark blonde hair which fell a few inches below my shoulders, another one of my habits. Whenever I'm thinking too much or extremely nervous about something I begin to pace. I just can't stand still. My hand went to my head as I began to feel a little bit of a headache. Whether it was from thinking too much or from the car crash, I wasn't sure. Okay, only way to figure this out was to go into the slums. If this was real, then… well it wasn't real so that didn't matter anyway. I continued trying to persuade myself as I ducked under the 'Welcome' sign and headed for what was said to be the sector seven slums.

My eyes clenched shut. I was afraid to open them and see what was really in front of me. This was just too unreal. Of course, I wanted to be in the Final Fantasy 7 world. To be a part of that adventure would be amazing, but it was impossible. Why was I even thinking about it so much if it was impossible? Like I had said earlier this had to be something created by fans, a type of amusement park, maybe?

Now that I began to think about it there was another thing I didn't really understand. If my body was supposed to be at the hospital covered in fatal wounds, then how was I here? I couldn't be in two places at once. That was completely impossible, even more unlikely than me really being in the sector seven slums.

I guess I should open my eyes now. I can't deny it anymore. Whatever happens happens. I slowly opened my left eye and then followed with the right. I let out a small gasp of shock. I was really there. It had to be the same place. I even saw the old man with the television standing on his front porch. I took a few steps forward, still taking in the site around me.

It had obviously been a huge shock, but I was beginning to get past that. I was looking at all the building around me in complete awe. I was really here in the Sector 7 slums, a place I had never even imagined being in. The game had been one of my favorites and now I was a part of it. A grin spread across my face. Well, now that I was here, what was I supposed to do?

Maybe… my thoughts trailed off. Could that really be possible? My eyes landed on the Seventh Heaven bar. Would Cloud, Tifa, and the others really be there? Only one way to find out. I slowly began to walk towards the bar. The whole time I was thinking about what I was going to say to them. These were some of my favorite video game characters ever, and now I actually had to chance to meet them. I had the chance to talk to them. Who else could say that?

My boots clicked softly against the wooden stair in front of the bar as I ran a hand threw my blonde hair, stopping when I reached the door. I didn't even know if I would be allowed in. If it was like the real world, then I wouldn't be because I'm only sixteen, but then again, people here just walk into strangers houses and no one seems to have a problem with it. Guess I won't know unless I try.

I swung the door open and took in the smell around me. It smelled similar to any other kind of bar, like smoke and liquor. Over to my right I noticed Jessie, who had her leg propped up on a chair in front of her with a bag of ice covering it. Hm, that was something they hadn't shown in the game. I guess it was from when her leg got caught while they were trying to escape. Now that I was here this place seemed much more realistic. Seeing Jessie sitting there made me realize that I really could get hurt here if I wasn't careful.

Wait, everyone of the Final Fantasy cast had some kind of weapon. What did I have? Damn, the old man must have forgotten to give me something. Now, I would be completely useless to everyone. Just great. Sure, I didn't know the first thing about fighting, but I could have learned. I would never have been an expert, but I would be able to defend myself a little. I guess the old man was just leaving everything up to me. I would have to go to the shop and by myself a weapon later. I reminded myself that I also had to figure out the old man's name.

"Excuse me." A voice called to me from over the counter. The woman there was staring at me, and I realized she must have been trying to get my attention for a couple minutes. I really needed to stop spacing out. Now that my thoughts had stopped I realized just who had been trying to talk to me. It was Tifa and standing next to her was Cloud. On the bar in front of Tifa there was a vase containing a single yellow flower. It seemed out of place to me because I wasn't used to seeing flowers by themselves. There were always bouquets of flowers not single ones. After seeing the slums first hand I understood how important that flower must have been. It really was one of the few beautiful things in the slums.

"Ain't ya a little young to be here?" The voice came from Barret. The man was huge. He had to be over six feet, and he was made of solid muscle. No wonder he thought he should be the leader over Cloud. Cloud was muscular, but it was nothing compared to Barret. After getting past his looks I realized what he had asked me. I guess I had been wrong in assuming that they didn't have certain rules here, but Marlene was allowed in the bar, so why shouldn't I be?

"Umm…" I began, trying to think of an excuse. That was probably something I should have done before walking inside. I had always failed to think ahead, and now I was stuck in a situation like this.

Cloud spoke up, removing the awkward silence from the air. "Look, I just want my money. Give it to me and I'm gone." Well, that had been rather forward. Oh, yeah, Cloud was still being his selfish, mercenary self. From reading words on a screen I had obviously never felt the emotions as well as I was now. Cloud wasn't a very likeable person. The way he spoke, even the way he carried himself, gave the impression that he didn't want anyone around him. Strange to think that I hadn't realized this when I first played the game. So far I wasn't getting the best first impression of him.

"Ya ain't gettin ya money!" Barret yelled slamming his fist onto an empty table in front of him.

"Please, not inside my bar." Tifa said, playing the peacekeeper and holding her hands up to try to stop the fight. I wonder what would have happened if she hadn't said anything. I noticed that her eyes had turned towards me once again, and I was beginning to think they had forgotten about me. "I'm sorry, but we're a little busy right now. Also, like Barret said, you are a little too young to be in here." I knew she was trying to ask me to leave in a kind way, but I couldn't go. I had to stay and figure out some way to join them. I wasn't going to miss the chance to experience this.

I said the first thing I could think of, and I'm sure it sounded pretty horrible. I had never been the most creative liar. "I've been walking for a long time. Came from a place called…" I paused for a second. Where should I say I was from? There were so many different places on the planet, but I needed to pick the right one. A place we probably wouldn't visit much and the others wouldn't get too suspicious of me. "Mideel." I finally said.

The group stared at me blankly, probably wondering why I was saying all of this. "Well, I've been traveling for a really long time. Do you think I could just have a glass of water?" Tifa raised an eyebrow at me. I didn't want to look at the others expressions. Yeah, that was a great lie. I'm here for a glass of water. I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. At least it gave me a few minutes to think up another lie.

Tifa reached over the bar and handed me the glass of water, which I clumsily dropped onto the ground, causing it to shatter into at least twenty pieces. It was probably because my hands were shaking out of nervousness, both from meeting this group and from the pressure to think up a believable lie. I had thought the first impression Cloud was making was bad, mine wasn't much better. Instantly I was down on the ground picking up the shards. Carelessly one sliced the palm of my hand. I winced as I looked down and saw the blood.

Tifa ducked under the counter and when she came back up she held what looked like a first aid kit in her hands. Why was there a first aid kit under the bar? It seemed like she had read my mind because she began to explain herself. "I work in a bar. There can be a lot of fights sometimes." I nodded, looking back toward my injured hand. As I did a pale green light covered the wound. What was happening? The light faded and the injury was gone.

I looked toward Tifa for an explanation, but she seemed as shocked as I did. If she hadn't done it, then who did? Could it have been me? My eyes widened a bit as this thought crossed my mind. It must have been the cure spell, but I don't even remember trying to use a spell. "Hey, Barret. She's a healer. We don't have one of those on our team." Jesse called over to Barret from her spot on the chair.

"Eh, I don' wanna get her involved." Involved? So, they were talking about asking me to join them. Things were really beginning to work out. The old man had done something good after all. I would have been completely unsuccessful with actual fighting. I had never held a sword or a gun in my life. Magic, well, that seemed to be more of a mental thing. That, I could do.

I watched as Tifa pulled Barret over to the side. They were whispering, so I was unable to hear what they were saying. As they talked my eyes began to scan the room once again. They landed on Cloud. He was simply leaning against the counter of the bar. It appeared like he had absolutely no interest in what was going on around him at the time. I rolled my eyes a little. He was probably only thinking about the money he wanted. He glanced up toward me. Our eyes met and he must have realized that I had been staring at him. Instead of saying anything his eyes drifted back toward the ground. I would have thought about him and his personality more, but Tifa and Barret had finished their conversation.

"Wha do ya think bout Shinra?" That was a strange question. Like most people who had played the game, I had grown to hate Shinra. Now, I only had to decide whether I should be truthful or make up another lie. I guess it would be better not to get myself too caught up in lies.

"I hate them." I said simply.

Barret nodded. I noticed that his expression still held a little uncertainty, but mixed in with the uncertainty was desperation. "Look, we got this mission. We wanna know if ya wanna be a part of it." Barret's eyes seemed to keep shifting, not staying in one place for too long. He seemed to be a little embarrassed. I guess he just wasn't the type of person who liked to ask for help. Anyway, this was the kind of opportunity I needed.

"Sure." I shrugged after making sure I knew what I was getting into. I knew this would be my first actual time out on the battle field. It would be dangerous, but the others would be there too. Besides I was a healer, not a fighter. I would probably remain in the back most of the time anyway. Now that I thought about it the old man (I really needed to figure out his name) had been pretty smart when he made me a healer, especially since Aeris, the healer of the team, would die later.

Barret nodded sharply and headed over to the pinball machine. "We betta get some rest before headin out." I noticed how he had failed to mention how the mission could be dangerous. I already knew about it, but what if I hadn't. He could have been sending me to my death. Either he really needed the help and didn't want me to turn him down, or he didn't think it was going to be dangerous. It didn't really matter either way. I just found it rather strange.

I watched the pinball machine take Barret down to the lower floor. Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse headed down next. As Jesse walked I noticed that she was limping. Who would have thought that her ankle had been injured that bad.

"Cloud, come on. Just rest for a while. You don't have anywhere else to go for now. Barret will give you your money in the morning." Reluctantly Cloud headed toward the machine and headed down. He must have realized that what Tifa had said was the truth. Before Tifa headed down she turned to look at me one more time. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Lindsey." I stated simply.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Final Fantasy 7.

As I opened my eyes I had to think for a couple minutes before remembering where I was. So, this really was real. It hadn't been a dream. I slowly picked myself off the floor and looked around, realizing that I was the only one in the room. Everyone else must have gone upstairs already. Today was the day of the reactor mission. My first real battle. I couldn't say I wasn't nervous.

I headed toward the pinball machine and began to go up to the main floor. The voices of Tifa and Cloud were easily recognized. "You remember now, don't you…our promise?" Tifa asked Cloud.

"I'm not a hero and I'm not famous. I can't keep……the promise." I heard Cloud answer. Now that I began to think about it, wasn't this supposed to happen before everyone went to sleep downstairs? I guess things were a little out of order because of my arrival. So, things weren't going to go exactly as they had in the game. I would have to be ready for anything, just like the others. This made me begin to wonder whether I would be able to change the events of the game. It was really something to think about.

When the pinball machine reached the main floor both Cloud and Tifa turned to look at me. I knew this wasn't the place I wanted to be at this time. "I was just going out." I explained quickly and scurried for the door. I didn't want to be caught in that argument, besides I already knew how it would turn out.

While heading toward the shop, I began to wonder how much money I had, if any. As I reached into my pocket I pulled out some gil. After counting it, I knew that I had 500 gil. Now, what did I want to buy? Oh, yeah, a weapon. I knew I was going to be a magic user, so a staff would probably be the best weapon. Anything else would be much too heavy for me.

"Hello." The cheerful voice of the shopkeeper said as I walked inside. "Anything I can help you with?" He was a small male probably only about 5'2'' with graying hair and a slightly hunched over position. He appeared to be in his sixties or seventies.

I shook my head and said, "No thanks." with a polite smile. I was just here to look around because I wasn't even sure exactly what I wanted. The wall containing all the weapons was the first place I went. It had swords, daggers, guns, and gloves, but I didn't see any staffs. "Excuse me," I called to the shopkeeper, "do you have any staffs?"

He shook his head, "No, sorry. Shinra doesn't really like people using magic. As you know, the only way to use magic is with materia. Shinra, well, they don't really approve of people having materia, but you want to know what I think." He motioned for me to come closer and then quickly checked that there was no one else in the shop. The shopkeeper whispered, "I think they just want to keep it all for themselves. Anyway," He continued his voice back to its normal volume, "The main use for staffs is to enhance magic from materia, so Shinra doesn't allow us to sell them."

I nodded at his explanation, which had turned out to be rather long. Looks like that idea of mine wasn't going to work. The only way I would be able to find some staffs would be in treasure chests, which I guessed would be scattered around the planet similar to how it had been in the game. I looked toward the other weapons. Crossing them off in my head as I decided which would be completely impossible for me to wield. Swords and gloves were the first crossed off my list. I would have absolutely no talent with those. That left me to decide between a dagger or a small hand gun, anything else would be much to big and heavy for me to carry.

I held the gun in my hand aiming it toward the wall, my finger near the trigger, but not pushing it. I had gone hunting a few times with my older male cousins, so I knew I would be able to handle a gun, but still. There was something making me think that wasn't the right weapon for me. Maybe it was just a gut feeling, but as soon as I felt it I set the gun back on its shelf.

The only weapon left was the dagger I had noticed earlier. It was a simple straight blade. The blade was silver while the handle was black. It fit comfortably in my hand and weighed nearly nothing. I knew it wouldn't help much in battles, but as I had decided earlier I was a magic user. I just didn't want to completely depend on my magic. I knew there would be times when I wouldn't have the strength to cast a spell. It happened to the game characters all the time. When that happened I wouldn't want myself to be completely vulnerable. The dagger seemed like the best solution.

"I'll take this." I said holding up the weapon as I walked toward the shopkeeper. "Oh, and this." I said grabbing something similar to a sheath that I would be able to tie around my waist.

The shopkeeper nodded and held his fingers out in front of his face. I sent him a confused glance before comprehending what he was doing. I held back a small laugh as I realized he was counting on his fingers to determine the price of the two items, but then the humor quickly changed to pity. The people of the slums hadn't received a proper education, like what I had received at home. After at least a minute he finally said, "450 gil." I grabbed the money from my pocket, realizing that I wouldn't have much left after I had spent it, but I understood how much I needed the weapon, so I handed him the money. He sent me a smile and a small 'thank you'.

I just waved as I left the shop and headed toward Tifa's bar. "Yer late. Where ya been?" Barret called to me as I stepped inside the bar. I noticed that everyone was huddled around the door. It appeared like they were about to exit through it. Were they just going to leave without me? That's what it looked like, though I suppose I couldn't really blame them. They barely knew me, and I'm sure they thought their mission was much more important than my whereabouts.

Barret gently pushed me out the door. "We gotta go. Don't wanna miss our train." He explained as we all began walking toward the train station. I quickly noticed that nearly everyone in the Sector 7 Slums was watching us. I guess everyone knew who Avalanche was and what they did, but none wanted to be a part of it. I'm sure many of them supported it, but didn't do anything out of fear. That's the way Shinra ran Midgar. They used fear to control people and it appeared to be working.

We all stepped into the train and filled up the car. Everyone else who had occupied the car only minutes before had been scared away out of fear. That really was how this planet was run on fear. Someone needed to change that. People couldn't be afraid every hour of every day. It wasn't right.

I watched as Barret harassed one of the members of the Shinra company. It was actually rather comical to watch. The man appeared to be completely terrified. It showed through his eyes, but who wouldn't be when they had someone like Barret hovering over them. The man could appear very threatening. That is when he's not wearing his fluffy white sailor costume. I let out a small laugh, causing the other to turn to look at me. There expressions looked down toward me, warning me that there was nothing funny about what we were about to do.

The smile faded from my face, and I spoke in a more serious tone. "I just realized. You never explained to me what this mission we're about to do is." Of course I knew what we were going to do, but wouldn't it seem suspicious if I knew things I wasn't supposed to.

"Yeah, what's our next target." Cloud added, also interrogating Barret.

"We're gonna blow up another reactor." Barret said with a sharp nod as he crossed his arm. "If any of those damn Shinra fools get in our way well…" He trailed off letting us imagine for ourselves what would happen to them. I took in a rather large gulp of air. I had never really thought about it until now, but what if I had to kill someone. I don't think I could do it. I didn't know much about this world yet, but I did know that these people all had their own personalities and feelings. And, now, I was expected to become a murderer? I couldn't do it.

Cloud must have noticed the look on my face, the look that the others had failed to notice because they were too busy preparing for the mission. He walked over to me and said, "You've never killed anyone, have you?" I slowly shook my head. I wasn't sure if he was going to say something reassuring at that moment, probably not. I guess I'll never know what his next sentence was going to be because at that moment and alarm sounded throughout the train. I had almost forgotten about this part.

Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse appeared in the door way that led to the next train a slight look of panic showing on their faces. "We have to leave, hurry." Jesse called to us. Her ankle seemed pretty much healed, must have been from some kind of cure spell. We rushed after her, running from train to train. Every time we thought we were safe the alarm would sound again, only proving that we weren't.

"What the hell happened!" I heard Barret yell as we finally reached one of the first cars. "Ugh, this is impossible." Barret finally admitted when we reached another train car. He swung the door of the train car open. "Looks like this is our only choice." Without warning Barret jumped off of the train. I let out a gasp of surprise, despite knowing this was going to happen. The train was moving much faster than I had thought it had been during the game.

Tifa and Cloud had already followed Barret off the train, leaving only me. Oh, God, I really hope I don't die. I took a deep breath and then jumped.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Final Fantasy.

Author's Note: Whisper's of Darkness, I went and double checked when Jesse hurts her leg, and it is before the train ride.

Also, at the moment this fic probably seems very similar to the game, but that will begin to change. As things start progressing I'm going to try to add some more plot to it. I have two main purposes for this fic. Number one is to make it enjoyable for you all to read and the second is to add some realism to the Final Fantasy 7 world. I'm going to try to give an explanation for things that weren't explained in the game, and eliminate completely unreal things like the characters walking inside of Cloud or Cloud using a jumping dolphin to climb up an electric tower.

Thanks for all the reviews everyone! By the way, I love constructive criticism. 

I bit my lower lip to keep myself from screaming. I knew that would be a foolish thing to do, since it would only alert Shinra of our location. I had watched everyone before me jump and they all seemed to roll, avoiding any injuries and making the jump look effortless. Well, I bet it's no surprise that I have never jumped off of a moving train. My jump wasn't exactly as graceful as the others. They were able to roll and land on their feet, while I hit the ground and slid forward on my back, causing my shirt to lift up and leave painful scratches.

By the time I finally stood up, the others were already walking in the other direction. I kicked a small rock in front of me. Would it be so hard for them to wait a couple seconds more for me? As I was running towards them Barret was giving another one of his speeches. "None of you let your guard down, ya hear?" Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie all nodded sharply. "Now, move out." Another sharp nod from the three before they ran off in separate directions.

I winced a bit as my back began to sting a little. I attempted tilting my head over my shoulder to see, but the angle wasn't very good, but I could see red. I was bleeding, though I wasn't sure how much. Okay, I was a healer, this should be no problem. I tried concentrating, thinking that was all I had to do, but I still felt pain. Quickly I reached behind me and touched my back. Looking at my fingers, I noticed that they had drips of blood on them.

"Lindsey, come on!" I heard Tifa yell. There they were running off without me again. I guess I couldn't blame them. They probably didn't trust me very much. Why should they? They had met me less than twenty-four hours ago. I was still surprised they had allowed me to come along on the mission. I suppose I would have to figure out how to use my healing abilities later. Why did everything good have to be so difficult to acquire?

I was lost in my thoughts again, but was literally knocked back into reality. Here I was on the ground … again. It looked like Cloud had stuck his arm out right in front of me, causing me to hit it and ricochet backwards onto the ground. I was about to demand why he had done such a thing before I noticed the electric wall in front of me. I muttered a quiet "Oh." And then added, "You saved me, thanks."

Cloud looked toward the electric wall. "It wouldn't have killed you. It's only a sensor. I just didn't feel like getting caught right now." I looked toward the ground, not wanting to look right at him. I couldn't help feeling inferior to him. Cloud had been one of my favorite characters in the game, but now I was beginning to rethink that opinion.

"Hey, look what I found!" Tifa called over to the rest of us. Cloud and Barret walked toward her, and I followed after I had picked myself up off the ground. "We can use this." She said uncovering a small air vent.

Barret looked toward her with a look that clearly said you-can't-be-serious. "That's one damn tiny hole. You tellin' me to squeeze into that to get under the Plate? No, way!"

"We're going down." Cloud said, simply. He didn't give any explanation, all he did was give the order. It seemed very Cloud-like. At least at this point in time.

"But, damn man, that thing gives me the chills." I would have expected a different answer from Barret. He acted like the leader of this mission, so why was he here taking orders from Cloud?

I looked toward the hole. Well, there was no way I was going to be the last one again. I was tired of getting left behind. "Let's go then." By the time those words escaped my lips I had already jumped into the hole. It was kind of like a slide… a very steep slide. I landed hard on my feet, causing pain to shoot up them for a second, but I had watched plenty of movies. And, I knew this wasn't the best place to be standing. I quickly hurried out of the way just in time.

Barret was the next one to come down the slide, a small scowl showed on his face. He landed in the spot where I had been standing only seconds earlier. A small smirk showed on my face, at least I had done something right. It looked like Cloud and Tifa had talked him into going, or maybe they had just pushed him down the hole. I wasn't really sure. I just couldn't believe he fit through the hole.

The next to come down was Cloud. He landed carefully on his feet, bending his knees as he did to take in some of the impact. He stepped away from the hole, his arms crossed in front of him as he waited for Tifa to jump down, so they could leave, but she didn't appear right away like everyone expected. "Tifa?" I called up through the vent, but there was still no reply. Cloud, Barret, and I all waited silently for her to answer. I don't know about the others, but I was definitely worried. Cloud looked up toward the vent as if searching for a way back up it, but the climb was too steep. There was absolutely no sound, except for the occasional clanking of pipes, until another kind of clanking sounded. It was coming from above us.

"Tifa." Cloud explained. My head tilted to the side a little, showing that I didn't understand what he meant. "Some kind of fight is going on up there." With the sound of a small explosion the clanking sound stopped.

"I'll be right there guys!" I heard Tifa saying, but her voice showed a hint of uncertainty. I wondered what could have caused it. My thoughts were cut off as Tifa came crashing out of the vent, landing hard on her stomach. She let out a small 'oof' sound as she hit, laying there for a couple seconds before picking herself up. Previously Tifa had been a lot more graceful than that. What had happened?

Obviously Barret had noticed as well because he was the next to speak. "What's wrong wit you?" He asked looking at the female member of AVALANCHE. When Tifa turned to look at us it was obvious by looking at her eyes that something was wrong. They were bright red. Not simply bloodshot, the entire part of the eye that was meant to be white was colored red. The skin surrounding the eyes also appeared a bit red and swollen.

I stayed silent even though I had a couple questions I wanted to ask. There was already so much I didn't know. If I kept asking questions, then I would just make myself stand out. I didn't want that to happen.

"Do any of you have any eye drops?" She asked. She was facing us, but it didn't look like she knew exactly where any of us were. It looked more like she was looking past us. Eye drops, now what was that used for in the game. Oh, yeah, darkness. So, she must have been pretty much blind right now.

Cloud and Barret both told her 'no' and then the two turned to look at me, waiting for a response. I simply shook my head. Eye drops weren't really something I had ever found useful in the game.

"We should keep walking. We don't want to take the chance of them figuring out we're here." It appeared that Cloud was already attempting to take over the role of leader and Barret didn't look too happy about it. Though, he didn't say anything either, probably because he agreed. "Lindsey, you help Tifa."

"Okay." I said nodding and heading over toward the other female.

"Wait." We all turned to see what she had to say. "I was attacked by three smoggers." If I remember right, smoggers were robot type monsters. They were teal and yellow in color. They must have used smog on Tifa to inflict her with darkness. "They weren't hard to beat, but when they were killed it made an explosion." I'm guessing that was how the smoggers died. They didn't just turn red and fade away, they exploded into different pieces. "The explosion caved in a part of the tunnel. I don't think it will take long for Shinra to realize something happened."

"Damn." Barret swore. I could understand why he was upset. This just made are already difficult job even harder. "Then, let's go."

"I'll only slow you guys down. Go on ahead. I'll just try to find Biggs, Wedge, or Jesse and walk back with them."

The idea made sense, but I didn't agree with her. "And, how are you going to find one of them when you're blind?" I looked toward Cloud and Barret. "I'll stay back here with Tifa, you guys can go on ahead. I'm not much of a fighter anyway. We'll catch up with you before this place explodes." Cloud and Barret agreed and sprinted off toward the center of the reactor. In a hurry, now that they knew they wouldn't have much time.

"Thanks, Lindsey." The fighter told me. She rubbed at her eyes, which only caused them to become even redder.

"How long are they going to be like that?"

The female shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Until I get some eye drops or until it wares off, but who knows how long that would take. I'd rather just get back to sector seven and get some drops."

I nodded. Now there was just one problem, I had no idea where to go. This place looked a lot different than it had in the game. I guess it would be best to go with Tifa's original idea and try to find some of the other members of AVALANCHE. "Do you think Cloud and Barret will be okay?"

"Of course! They may not get along all the time, but the two of them are great fighters. The Shinra soldiers around her are no match for them." I nodded feeling a bit relieved.

The sound of footsteps caught my attention. This couldn't be happening now. I wasn't strong enough to fight and Tifa was unable to see. I grabbed Tifa's wrist and started running in the opposite direction that the footsteps were coming from. "We have to get out of here!" Tifa wouldn't admit it, but she was probably having a hard time keeping up with me. It must be hard trying to run while you're blind, especially when you have to trust someone you just met.

Another set of footsteps could be heard from the direction we were running, unless I found us a place to hide we were going to be caught. My eyes frantically scanned the room in search of a hiding place. "This way!" I whispered, turning to the left. "Duck down, we have to stay quiet." Tifa nodded.

There hadn't been many hiding places in the room because it was pretty much open. The only place to go had been a small dead end hall. All we could do was hope the soldiers didn't come this way… let's just say I had never had the best luck. Please, let this one thing work out for me.

"Hey, did you hear anyone in this room a couple minutes ago?" One of the soldiers asked. From the sound of the footsteps, the two groups of soldiers from opposite sides had met up.

"Yeah. After that explosion up by the tracks we were all sent to check it out. People are saying it was probably AVALANCHE, planning on blowing up another reactor."

"Everyone search the room!" One of the soldiers commanded. In order for him to give orders like that, I guessed he was probably of higher rank than the others. The sound of footsteps heading off in all different directions echoed throughout the room because of the metal walls. One set was heading in our directions.

I was out of ideas, but we couldn't get caught! Okay, I just had to think. Tifa was blind, but she was the only fighter here. I was supposedly a healer and I couldn't even do that right! I looked toward Tifa wondering if she had any ideas. She seemed to be prepared for a fight, despite being blind. Her fists were up and she was staring in the direction the footsteps were coming from.

I stared straight ahead, I was out of ideas. Looks like we were going to be caught… I'm such an optimist. As the soldier turned the corner, he jumped back a little, as if he hadn't expected to see us there, but that was only for a second. He was soon shouting about how he had found us.

"I'm sorry." I told Tifa, knowing this was all my fault. I should have found a better hiding place.

"Don't worry. We'll get out of this." She told me, trying to be strong, despite the situation appearing hopeless. Who knew how many soldiers were out there. Seven more soldiers appeared next to the one that had originally found us. Tifa stood up, holding her fists out, ready to fight.

I stayed back, unsure what to do. These were humans. I couldn't fight another human. My eyes were wide as I stayed backed up against the wall. But, surely, Tifa couldn't take them all out by herself. Even if she could see, I was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to.

I watched her fight, despite the odds. The first soldier that came at her soon fell to the ground after a kick to the head. The kick had hit him directly in the temple, so hard that I was almost positive he was dead. If the blow hadn't killed him, then I was pretty sure his neck had been broken. Blood dripped from the dead mans mouth, a small puddle forming around his head. I couldn't look at him and my eyes drifted back towards the fight.

After seeing one of their comrades fallen, they decided to gang up on Tifa. With so many coming at once she couldn't use her ears to tell where they were. Now, she was just blindly throwing punches. Hitting the soldiers every once in a while, but not with direct hits. There was no way she could win with four guys attacking her at once, the other three were coming after me.

A gun shot was heard, and less than a second later Tifa screamed and collapsed down to one knee. Blood was dripping from her left thigh where she had been shot. With her on the ground one of the soldier took advantage of it and hit her over the head with their elbow. I couldn't tell if she had blacked out or been killed. I was hoping it was the earlier.

"You're turn." One of the soldiers said as he stepped toward me.

"Maybe AVALANCHE will learn to stop taking innocent lives." How could they say that? How could Shinra blame us for taking lives? They were the ones killing people. They were the ones that were going to destroy everyone in Sector seven.

"Shut up!" I yelled, reaching for my waist and grabbing the dagger. I ran towards them, no thoughts except to inflict pain. I hadn't realized yet how foolish of a move it was. The first soldier grabbed my wrist before the dagger came close to him and twisted it painfully. I heard the bones crack as I attempted to twist my body as my wrist moved to try to avoid the pain. Somehow I ended up on my back, definitely not the best position to be.

A nearby soldier kicked me in the side, while another placed his foot on my stomach to hold me in place. The first one still held my arm. I tried willing myself to stay awake, but it was too much. I looked toward Tifa. Tears stung my eyes. It was one thing to bring this upon myself, but I had dragged her down with me. It was all my fault. "Somebody help!" I yelled, before blacking out.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Final Fantasy.

"Hurry! Wake up!" I heard a voice yelling and it also felt like someone was shaking me. My eyes blinked open and I saw Tifa hovering over me. I slowly shook my head, ignoring the head ache I had at the moment. I sat up slowly. My head wasn't the only thing hurting at the moment. My stomach and ribs were also in pain.

"Oh." I stated remembering everything that had happened. "Tifa, your leg!" I said, remembering when she had gotten shot. I had been so afraid that she had died. My eyes drifted away from her and looked at the ground. It was my fault. She trusted me to lead her and act as her eyes since she was blind, and I got us caught. Her eyes, they weren't red anymore. "You're not blind?"

She shook her head. "Nope, the blindness wore off. And, I used a cure spell on my leg. It's fine now." She patted her thigh to prove it to me. "See?" I looked toward it. The bullet wound was gone, but I noticed that it was still red and swollen. It must have still been hurting her.

But, if the blindness had already worn off, then how much time had passed? I sat up, realizing that we were in some kind of cell. There was a single bed on one side of us, and it was small, barely big enough for the two of us. Wait, wasn't this the same cell seen in the game? "How long have we been here?"

Tifa shook her head, "I'm not sure. I've been awake for a couple hours, trying to wake you up. I think we're in the Shinra headquarters."

"Yeah, we are. I've been here before."

"You have? When?" Tifa asked, tilting her head to the side. I'm sure it was uncommon for people to be inside the headquarters, especially inside of a cell. My eyes widened as I panicked not sure what to say in response. My thoughts raced, trying to think of some kind of reason. Tifa seemed to notice because she said, "It's okay. You don't have to tell me. Everyone has their secrets, and we barely know each other."

I nodded, though I wasn't sure if she was saying that because she truly meant it or if it was because she thought she had to. Great, now she probably trusts me even less than she originally did. Standing up, I headed toward the bed. I rested my elbows on my thighs and placed my head in my hands. Everything was just perfect. I was here stuck in a prison with no way out. This was just great. I wasn't strong enough for this. Staying back at that place with the old guy was really starting to sound a lot better. A tear rolled down my cheek as I sniffled. It had just occurred to me that I might die. I might not make it through this. "I'm such an idiot." I whispered aloud to myself.

I felt the bed sink down a bit on my left side. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tifa. Why couldn't I be strong like that? We were both trapped in this cell and her eyes were dry. "We'll get out of here." She reassured me. "Don't worry."

I wanted to ask how, but I didn't. I knew it would have sounded like I didn't believe her because I really didn't. But, I couldn't do that. Here she was being optimistic. I couldn't do that.

"Do you think they blew up the reactor already?" I asked, trying to start a conversation to take my mind off of our, what I saw as hopeless, situation.

"I'm not sure. I mean the plan seemed perfect, but with those Shinra soldiers there…" She trailed off.

"But, there not in here with us! They much have done it." Now, it was my turn to be optimistic. I leaned back against the wall behind me, stretching my legs out on the bed. The sound of the door unlocking surprised both Tifa and I. Tifa was quickly on her feet, once again prepared for a fight.

The door opened to reveal president Shinra with two of the Turks behind him, Reno and Rude. "Grab them." He held a gun up, threatening us into cooperation. I was frightened and let Reno forcefully pull me off the bed and then put my hands behind me before tying them.

I glanced backwards at Tifa. Just by the look in her eyes I knew she wanted to fight, but the gun held her back. Tifa's hands were tied behind her, like mine were. Rude led her out of the room and Reno quickly followed leading me. Did they really think we would run? Neither of us was that foolish.

"We received quite a lot of money for the two of you. Now, normally I don't just sell my prisoners, but you two are a rare case. Besides Don Corneo assured me that if you made one wrong move you would be killed. I just couldn't argue with the man." President Shinra laughed. Not the kind of laugh when something's funny, but the kind you use when you know something the other person doesn't.

"What you don't have anything to say about that?" The President asked. His mood quickly changed to one of seriousness. "Isn't that a pity? You know where to take them. I'm a very busy man, so if you'll excuse me I've got a dinner to attend. I'm sure you ladies don't mind."

The president turned at the next hall, while the four of us continued heading toward the elevators. "Thank God, he's gone. I was getting tired of listening to him talk!" Reno said. Tifa and I both looked toward him in surprise. The president was his boss, what was he doing saying things like that about him? Rude stayed silent as usual, though I did notice that he was walking awfully close to Tifa. Guess he still had a bit of a crush on her.

It was a very tight fit in the elevator. It was glass, so I started out the window as we went down. It would have been a beautiful view if there was anything to look at other than machines and smoke.

Tifa and I both remained silent as Reno and Rude continued to lead us. She was probably trying to think of a plan to escape, while I was only thinking about what had already happened. This had already happened in the game, so we would probably be saved by Cloud, or at least that's what I hoped. I still had no idea how much time had passed while I was asleep. We might not even arrive at Don Corneo's mansion at the same time Cloud and Aeris did.

"Bet you're wondering how much Don Corneo's paying for you, right?" Reno asked. Why was he trying to start a conversation with the prisoners?

"Not really." Tifa said, shaking her head.

"Oh, really? Well, you know, I would have paid quite a lot of money for you." Reno looked toward Tifa glancing her up and down and then whistled. If the situation were different I would have laughed at the look Rude sent Reno.

Tifa sent Reno a hard glare, but didn't say anything. I'm sure she was used to this kind of attention. She did own a bar, and she was wearing a short black mini skirt. But, it was a lot different when the guy was the one holding you prisoner.

The rest of the walk was mostly silent, just a few comments from Reno, but no one would reply to them. Soon we were in Sector 6. Reno wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I hate the slums."

That seemed to make Tifa angry, "You're the one that made them like this! Maybe if everyone on top of the plate weren't so selfish we would have enough money to live. And, if your mako reactors weren't killing the planet!"

Reno didn't have a reply, maybe it was because he knew it was true. But, if that was true, then why wasn't he or anyone else doing anything about it.

"Don Corneo says he wants you two to be taken here first, so that you can be prepared." Reno explained as he led us toward the Honey Bee Inn.

"Prepared for what?" I asked, even though I knew what the answer was. Don Corneo was a pervert who was looking for a bride.

"Marriage." Rude said.

I rolled my eyes at the answer. Don Corneo didn't want to marry anyone, that was just what he said because he knew females would believe him because they would see it as a chance to get rich. The truth was that he had completely different motives.

"We'll wait outside for you ladies." Reno said as Tifa and I were taken away by a few other females in slutty clothes. I definitely wasn't going to wear something like that.

Tifa and I were walking next to each other, while the girls formed some-what of a circle around us, leading us to the farthest room from the front door. "Tifa, should we try to escape now?" I whispered. There was no way these girls would be able to take on Tifa. I was positive that they had no fighting experience.

"No, not yet." Tifa shook her head.

"But, why not?" I asked quickly, confused by her answer. This was the perfect opportunity. Why was she wasting it? All they had to do was knock out all the girls and then head out the back door. It would be easy.

"I've heard about this Don Corneo guy. A lot of girls have been disappearing because of him. I've got to figure out why. This is a great chance to do so. Besides, even if we did escape I would end up going there. At least this way it won't look suspicious." Tifa explained to me.

"What about the others? They're probably worried about you." I didn't include myself because I knew they wouldn't be worried about me. They barely knew me. "Besides it'll be dangerous."

Tifa let out a small laugh. "You sound like Cloud."

What was I even saying? Tifa was the one that was a fighter here. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even use the healing powers that I supposedly had. Who was I to tell her that it would be to dangerous? "Okay." I agreed with a small nod, still not completely convinced.

The girls rushed around us applying make-up and throwing clothes everywhere. At first I refused to let them touch my clothes. I definitely wasn't used to people undressing or dressing me, but they insisted so much that I was unable to refuse. When they were finished Tifa and I both wore layers of make-up and shimmering dresses.

Tifa's dark brown hair had been let out of its fish tail style and her tank top and skirt had been replaced with a sparking blue dress that stopped a few inches above her knees with a gold belt. She wore a pair of matching heels.

My outfit was the same color my shorts had been, lime green. It was short, about the same length as Tifa's dress. It had spaghetti straps and was very form-fitting, almost to the point where I couldn't breathe. I wore a pair of strappy heels, the same color as the dress. My dark blonde hair had been let down and straight. "Um…I really don't want to wear this." If it were to a dance like homecoming or something, then I would have no problem with it. But, I wasn't going to a dance. I was going to see the biggest man-whore alive. Well, alive in this world at least.

The girls ignored my comment and led Tifa and I out the door and back out toward Reno and Rude. I could feel Reno's eyes on both Tifa and I as we stepped outside. Rude was glancing at Tifa every couple seconds, but he made it more discrete.

"It really is a shame that we have to give you ladies to Don Corneo." Reno said, with a dramatic disappointed sigh.

Both mine and Tifa's hands had been untied before we entered the wallmarket, probably because it would have looked suspicious. So, now Rude and Reno just grabbed us by the arm and led us toward Don Corneo's mansion. As we were walking I was scanning the area, looking for Cloud and Aeris. I really hoped they would be there, but I didn't see them. Now, I just had to hope that they would eventually show up.

"See ya later ladies." Reno said as him and Rude walked off, back toward headquarters after they had dropped us off at the mansion. We were led away into the basement of the building. Now, we just had to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Final Fantasy.

A.N.: Thank you so much for all the reviews everyone! It made me want to type a new chapter a lot sooner than I usually do.

I paced nervously around the basement as Tifa and I waited for someone to come and get us. It was a bad habit. If I was nervous I couldn't stand still because it only made things worse. "Hey, Lindsey, calm down." I glanced over at Tifa. She really didn't understand who this guy was, did she? He would have no problem raping one of us if we refused him. My pacing didn't stop. Where was Cloud?

"What do you know about this guy?" I asked.

"He's just been in a bunch of news reports. They say he's been looking for a bride. But, supposedly he's been looking for a bride for three years. That alone doesn't seem right." Tifa explained, and then stopped to think about what she was going to say next. "Girls have gone missing. They come into this house, and they don't come back out. No one says anything about it because they know how much money Don Corneo has, and they know he's connected to Shinra. Everyone's afraid to say anything."

Here she was talking about fear again. Everything about Midgar has something to do with fear. It was what Shinra used to run the city. "And, you're not afraid of what he might do to us? If no one has gotten away from him before, then how do you think we can?" There I was being pessimistic again. I should probably do something about that problem.

"Don't underestimate me." Tifa told me. I guess a lot of people did underestimate her. I mean, she doesn't exactly look like a fighter, especially not in the outfit she was wearing right now.

I walked over and sat down on the steps. We had already been waiting for about an hour or two. Usually I hated waiting, but right now I was happy about it. When the waiting was over it would mean I would have to go see Don Corneo, and I wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. I glanced up the stairs, still no sign of Cloud or Aeris. I was really looking forward to seeing Cloud in his dress. In the game it hadn't looked much different than his regular outfit, but I was sure it would be even more hilarious in real life.

My thoughts were brought to a halt when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I stood up, quickly trying to see who it was. It definitely wasn't Cloud. It was some guy I had never seen before. He was fairly short for a guy, only about 5'4''. His brown hair was short and spiked. "Don Corneo is ready to see you."

My eyes widened as I panicked. This wasn't supposed to happen. Cloud and Aeris were supposed to show up first, and then this guy would come. Were they going to show up at all?

"Let's go." Tifa said as she walked passed me when she noticed that I wasn't moving.

I slowly nodded. Things would end up okay, right? I followed Tifa and the man up the stairs. I was just my face was a bit paler than normal. It was one thing to be going there and meeting Don Corneo, but what about the dragon? Tifa and I couldn't take that thing on alone. I let out a deep breath. Okay, I just had to calm down, maybe Cloud and Aeris were already in the room.

The doors swung open, revealing Don Corneo behind his desk as well as a brunette I had never seen before. Her dark brown hair was short, barely going past her ear lobes. She wore a dark red, floor-length dress. The bright smile on her face showed that she was completely oblivious about what was going on.

"Ladies line up in front of the Don." The man who we had figured out was named Kotch told us. We followed his directions and lined up. The other female, who had been referred to as Jean was standing to the left of me, while Tifa was on my right. I watched Jean out of the corner of my eye, she really had no idea what was going on. I wanted to warn her so much.

"Hmmm! Good, splendid! Now, let's see…which girl should I choose? Hmm--

hmm! This one? Or this one?" The Don stood up and walked over so that he was in front of us. I could feel his eyes on me. It was disgusting. I could understand now why Don Corneo had to use his money to get girls. He wasn't a very attractive person. Actually he was probably one of the creepiest men I had ever seen.

First off he had a mohawk. His hair was blonde and the front part of the mohawk curled off to the side. On the bald part of his head he had a tattoo of a heart with an arrow going through it. He had a smirk on his face as he looked at us. He wore pair of blue jeans, a white shirt, and a red robe. I stared that ground, not making eye contact with him, and hoping I wouldn't be picked.

"Woo--hoo, I've made up my mind! My choice for tonight is…." He trailed off walking over and standing in front of Jean. "this beautiful girl." Jean looked ecstatic. "Well then, shall we go my pretty?" Don Corneo asked. Jean nodded excitedly nodded her head and the Don led her away.

I looked at Tifa and mouthed 'What are we going to do?' We couldn't just leave Jean with that lech. Tifa was about to reply when Kotch came up behind us, telling us that he had to take us to another room. He led Tifa to a room to the left and I was taken back to the basement I had originally been in, Kotch followed me.

"The Don's such a great guy. He always lets us have all the leftovers." Kotch said a smirk playing on his lips.

"Stay away!" I yelled my voice shaking with fear. I stepped backwards until I was up against the wall. Kotch continued walking towards me. "I'm warning you!" I threatened.

"Oh, really? What do you think you're going to do?" He asked, his tone showing that he was amused. He didn't stop coming towards me.

Good question, what was I going to do? He was a guy and he was about ten years older than me. Wait, my dagger. I pulled it out of the sheath, which was tied around my ankle at the moment. My other clothes were sitting on the table a few feet away from me. I wouldn't be such a fool and just run toward him this time. I held the dagger out in my defense.

"A little girl like you wouldn't know how to use a weapon." Kotch told me, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. He stopped where he was standing, about three steps away from me.

Truth was I had the upper hand here. I had a weapon, he didn't. I took a step toward him. He didn't move.

Kotch seemed to be weighing his options. I watched him, not really wanting to use the dagger on him. I had never intentionally hurt another human, but this would be self defense, right? I don't know if I could do it.

Without warning Kotch lunged toward me, surprising me and knocking me off balance. I would have fallen backwards, but the wall behind me kept me standing. Though, the impact had nearly knocked the wind out of me. Kotch grabbed my wrist that held the dagger, twisting it until I dropped it. I felt his hand going up my dress. I struggled trying to push him off of me, but he was too strong. Then, I kicked him, wondering why I hadn't done that earlier. He collapsed into the fetal position, holding himself.

I grabbed my weapon off the floor and put it back in its sheath. I grabbed my clothes off the table and wiped a couple tears from my eyes. My body was still shaking because of what had nearly happened. I had been so afraid, and the adrenaline that I had recently experienced was starting to wear off and make me weak. But, I had to try to save Jean.

I noticed a bathroom when I reached the top of the stairs and quickly headed inside. I didn't want to have to confront the Don while still wearing that dress. I already felt violated enough because of Kotch. I threw the dress onto the ground and put my lime green shorts, tank top, and boots back on. I threw my hair back up into a messy bun. The dress wasn't important, so I just left it there on the floor in the bathroom.

As I exited the room I saw Tifa. She had also changed. Without a word we headed toward Don Corneo's room. A feminine scream was heard and our pace increased. Tifa threw the door to his room open. I had already pulled my dagger out of it's sheath, which was once again around my waist, and Tifa had her fists up in front of her.

"Somebody help!" Don Corneo yelled, calling for his guards.

"Unfortunately, no one'll be comin' to help." Tifa explained. "We've taken care of all your guards. Get out of here." Tifa told Jean and nodded toward the door. The Don was too shocked my our appearance and the information about his guards that he was too slow to stop Jean from leaving the room. The poor girl had tears streaming down her cheeks and her shirt had already been removed, which she carried in one hand. She was the one that had gotten herself into this by being greedy for his money, but she still didn't deserve that. She mumbled a quick 'thanks' as she scurried out of the room.

"What the hell's going on?" Don Corneo demanded.

"We've been hearing a lot about you. Seems you have ties to Shinra. What do you know?" Tifa yelled. She took a step toward Don Corneo, threateningly. "And, if you don't tell us…" She paused, putting her leg on top of his bed and holding up her fist. "I'll smash them."

"No, no! Don't do that. I'll tell you anything! I promise." The Don whimpered. "I was supposed to look for this guy with a gun arm. He lives in Sector 7. That's all I know! I swear!"

Tifa and I both looked at each other, knowing that he was lying. I smirked, now it was my turn to try and look threatening. I took the same position Tifa had, and put one of my legs up on the bed, leaning against it. My dagger was pointed toward Don Corneo. "I'll chop them off." Cloud wasn't here. I might as well take his line.

"The plate!" Don Corneo yelled. "They're going to destroy AVALANCHE with the plate. They're going to break the support on it and crush them. I'm just glad it's not here in sector 6."

Tifa's eyes widened. "Breaking the support? We've got to get back there and warn everyone." I nodded and Tifa and I headed toward the exit.

"Wait!" The Don called after us.

The trap door! "Tifa, ignore him." I said, trying to keep walking, but Tifa had already stopped. Probably thinking he had more information. I couldn't just come out and tell her because I already knew more than I was supposed to. It would have been suspicious to know about the trap door, but if I didn't we would fall through and meet Aps.

"Why do you think I would babble all the truth?" Don Corneo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because you're a fool." Tifa told him. We had to keep walking.

"Tifa, move!" I finally yelled, trying to push her off the trap door.

"Uh-oh! Too late!" Don Corneo yelled, pulling the lever. The floor fell out from under us. All I remember then was his calls of Woo-hoo as we were falling. The fall must have knocked both Tifa and I unconscious, but it didn't last as long as the last time because the stench of the sewer woke us up.

As I opened my eyes the first thing I noticed, other than the smell was the rough sound of breathing. Tifa was waking up at the same time I was and I saw her standing up. There was the sound of a loud growl and then I heard Tifa yell, "Watch out!" She must have realized what was happening before I did because as soon as I looked up there was a huge wave coming towards both of us.

It was one of Aps' attacks, and Tifa and I were the only ones there. In the game it had been Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris. How were we supposed to take this thing down with just the two of us. Well, first I had to worry about this attack. I closed my mouth and held my breath as the wave washed over me.


	7. Chapter 7

PenguiN SlipperS- Hmm… pairings. There will be the basic Tifa/Cloud/Aeris love triangle, but I think that will be pretty much the only real pairing. I'm a CloTi fan, but I'll try to stick with the love triangle instead of making it CloTi, just because that's how it was in the game.

The wave washed over Tifa and me. I felt like I was suffocating. This wasn't any beach wave. It was so powerful it knocked the two of us to the ground. I panted a bit trying to catch my breath and keep myself relaxed. At the moment I was definitely panicking. What were we supposed to do now?

I felt like screaming. Where was Cloud? He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to save us. Why? Why, wasn't he here?

I glanced over at Tifa she was already in a fighting stance ready to attack Aps. How could she be so calm for a fight like this, one that we had a very small chance of winning? Shouldn't we just run? Surely, Aps couldn't fit through one of the small sewer pipes.

"Tifa, I think we should run." I said my eyes wide as I stared up at the beast that was at least five times our size. The beast let out a loud growl that echoed throughout the sewers, causing me to take a few steps backward out of fear. Tifa didn't seem to want to run; I noticed that she continued maintaining her fighting stance. I knew it would be impossible to win, but what could I say? "Tifa, there's no time to fight. We have to go warn the people of Sector 7. We can't let them all die!"

Her eyes widened a bit in realization. Dropping her fighting stance she ran toward me, grabbed my arm and continued running. "You're right. Let's go!"

Aps was fairly fast for his size, but we were still faster because we were so much smaller. Aps kept running into the sewer wall, which seemed to get smaller as we continued on. If we kept running, we should be able to completely out run him.

Adrenaline kept me running even after I was tired. I was in track back in the real world, though I did sprint and no long distance. At least it was something to keep me a bit in shape.

I heard a loud gurgling sound come from behind us, the same exact sound I had heard before Aps' first attack. The rushing sound of a wave coming caused me to run faster, but it was useless. The wave overtook Tifa and me, the rushing water carrying us farther down the sewer. At least it was farther away from Aps.

The wave knocked us both into the sewer wall. Glancing over at Tifa, I noticed that the attack had done little to her. I was pretty much okay, but there was a small trail of blood flowing down my arm where it had scraped against the wall. Healing would have to wait, there was no time.

Aps had stopped following us after the attack, probably because he couldn't fit through the sewer anymore.

"This way!" Tifa called to me, and I saw her standing in front of a ladder.

I nodded and followed her up the ladder. We found ourselves in the train graveyard, a place that like nearly everything in this world seemed very familiar to me. Tifa and I didn't talk much throughout the adventure through the train graveyard, mainly because both of us were doing a lot of thinking. What would we do if we were too late? We had to get there in time. I assumed that the emotional stress was much worse for Tifa because Sector 7 had become her home. I had only been there for a couple days.

As we continued along we ran into a few enemies, but they were nothing Tifa wasn't able to take care of. We had found a fire materia on the way, and Tifa gave it to me and explained how to use it. Materia was mentally draining, but if it made me capable of fighting, then I was definitely going to use it. At least I wasn't useless anymore. I promised myself that I would eventually learn how to use my healing powers. The old man gave me the power to heal without materia, and I was going to figure out how to use it.

Eventually we reached the end of train grave yard. "We made it! The pillar's still standing!" Tifa said excitedly, clapping her hands together. The smile quickly turned to a frown when the two of us heard something else. Gunfire.

"Let's hurry." I said as I increased my pace to a fast jog.

My mouth dropped open as I saw someone falling from the top of the pillar. I diverted my eyes from the scene, unable to watch. After the fall I glanced back toward the person. It was wedge and he was still breathing and alive, though it was obvious that he had been injured. "Tifa you go up and help, I'll stay here and try to heal wedge. I've got a few potions with me." I said as I reached into my pocket. Tifa ran for the stairs, intent on helping save her home.

I kneeled down next to Wedge. "What hurts?" I asked him.

He tried to wave me on, wanting me to go help the others. "No." I said gently. "There are enough of them up there to handle this. Right now I've got to heal you. I'm not much of a fighter anyway." I replied with a slight smile.

I noticed his eyes start to flutter closed. "No!" I yelled a bit forcefully. "You have to hold on. You can't die now." Tears were already filling my eyes threatening to fall. "Please just drink this." I fumbled with a potion and raised it to his mouth. "Just drink it. You'll be alright." I said, though I wasn't completely sure.

"I'm sorry I wasn't much help." Wedge choked out.

I shook my head, "No, you were plenty of help, and you're gonna help out even more. You just have to hold on." A few seconds later I added, "Please." His eyes drifted away from me, staring straight up toward the top of the pillar. The sound of gunfire still filled echoed through out the area. Please everyone, I hope we're in time. I silently prayed.

The sound of clanking heals caused me to glance back toward the stairs. It was Aeris. Why was she running towards us? I opened my mouth to ask, but she interrupted. "I'm sorry, but there is no time for introductions." She said with a small smile, and continued down the pillar, heading toward Sector 7. Where? And, then I remembered. Marlene. Barret's little girl, she was going to save her, but then she would get caught.

I glanced back at Wedge, there were so many choices right now, and I didn't know what to do. "I'm sorry, but I have to go." I handed him a potion. "Just try to stay alive. We'll get out of this." I said with a weak smile. With that said I headed up toward the top of the pillar. Aeris would be okay; they wouldn't hurt her, since she was the last surviving ancient. What I needed to do was try to stop this pillar from falling.

On my way up to the top I saw Biggs kneeling next to Jessie. She seemed to be injured pretty badly, but there was no time. Biggs would have to handle this. I handed him a potion. "Just hold on." He nodded.

I reached the top to see Reno heading toward the control panel. Cloud, Barret, and Tifa were all being held back and distracted by a few soldiers. They had no time to stop him. I rushed toward him. "Reno, don't." I begged, my eyes were already leaking tears because of everything that was happening.

His eyes turned toward me, widening in recognition as he realized I was one of the girls from before. "How'd you?" He trailed off, "It doesn't matter. You're too late anyway." No, I wasn't too late. I just had to distract him long enough to give Cloud and the others time to come and fight him. He hadn't pushed the button yet, there was still time.

"Reno, please! Remember how we were talking early about Sector 7. How it's your fault it's like this. Don't cause more pain. Please!" I stood between him and the control panel.

Reno shrugged, seeming to not care. "It's my job."

"And, that's reason enough to destroy all of Sector 7? You're going to kill innocent people! You've found AVALANCE already. We're right here. The man with the gun arm? He's right there!" I said motioning toward Barret. "Why do you have to kill all these people? It's not necessary!"

"You don't seem to understand. I don't have a choice. Just following the boss's orders." He walked toward me until he was standing mere inches in front of me. He looked down at me. "Now, if you would be kind enough to step out of my way, then I won't have to force you."

I shook my head. Reaching for my dagger, I removed it from my hip. Taking a step back I held it toward him. "Just get back on you helicopter and leave." My eyes glanced over toward Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. They were finishing off the last few soldiers. Just a little longer.

"Oh-hoh, little girl has a knife." Reno said with a smirk. "Bet you don't even know how to use it."

"Try me." I hissed. With a quick motion I brought the dagger toward him, but he stepped back, causing the dagger to merely scrap his left arm. It bled, but the wound wasn't deep at all.

"As I said, you don't know how to use it." I soon found myself shoved to the ground, the dagger laying a few feet to the left of me. Reno was only seconds away from pushing the button on the control panel.

"No!" I yelled as I used a fire spell. The spell hit Reno, knocking him back a bit. He looked toward me, his hair singed a bit.

"You're really starting to bother me." He growled, stepping toward me. Grabbing the front of my shirt he pulled me to my feet, causing me to whimper a bit out of fear. Once I was on my feet he brought his weapon, a baton, down forcefully on my head. I hit the ground, and that's the last thing I remember.


	8. Chapter 8

Wow, it's been a really long time since I wrote anything for this story. I've just been super busy and my laptop broke. I was rereading some of the chapters I have from before and some of the parts were just awful. The mood and everything was just not good, but I'm too lazy to go and fix it right now. So, it's just gonna stay like that for now. This is kind of more of an informational chapter, so I apoligize for that.

I heard myself let out a groan as I attempted to sit up. Why did it seem like I was always getting knocked unconsious while I was here? I was really beginning to grow tired of it. Not one single time, except for during the accident of course, had I ever passed out, but here it was beginning to become somewhat of a daily occurence. One that I could'nt say I was enjoying. The light in the room was bright, and more than anything I just wanted to lay back down and fall asleep, even if it was just to remove the throbbing pain of my head. Seriously, I had one of the worst headaches I had even experienced, but I knew that I had to wake up. Who knew what time it was or even where I was.

Where was I anyway? My eyes were finally beginning to adjust to the light and I realized it was a ray of sunlight shining throught the window that was causing it. I sat up, obviously a bit too fast because I felt like I was about to fall back down again. You know that feeling when everything starts to go black? Yeah, that's what happened.

A quick glance around the room determined that there was no one else in there with me. They hadn't all decided to leave me agian had they? I forced myself to get up out of the bed and walk over to the window. The room was a light shade of pink, and that alone should have given me a clue about where I was. Upon walking to the window, I was greeted with the sight of at least a million yellow flowers. They same type that I had seen at Tifa's bar when I arrived at Midgar. Flowers? There was only one place in the entire Final Fantasy 7 world that contained this many, and that was the garden outside Aeris' house. It really was beautiful, and I was sure the smell was amazing. I really wanted to go out there. Even if it was just to smell something other than the awful smell of the slums.

I realized that I was still wearing the same outfit I had been wearing when I was up on the tower... with Reno. My eyes widened, what had happened to the tower anyway? After I passed out had they managed to stop Reno before the entire thing collapsed? All those people from the slums. Had they all been crushed. What about the kind old man from the weapons shop. My thoughts were frantic, but I managed to calm myself. Perhaps they had stopped him. I could only hope, I had to find the others and get some answers. My eyes landed on my boots, which whoever had put me in the bed had remembered to remove. After lacing them up I exited the room.

There were voices coming from downstairs, and the one currently speaking did not sound very happy. "You're her father!? How in the world could you ever leave a child alone like that!?" It was a women's voice, one that I didn't recognize. But, I did remember this scene from playing the game. It was Aeris' mother, well step mother at least. Her real mother had been killed by Shinra. I paused at the top of the steps, unsure whether I should go down or not. I decided to at least wait until this part of the conversation was over. I didn't want to interrupt.

Barret's voice sounded close to tears when he finally spoke. Strange for a man that strong and muscular to cry, though I suppose anyone would have in the situation he was in. He nearly lost his daughter. "please don't start with that. I think about it all the time. What would happen to Marlene, if I... but you gotta understand somethin', I don't got an answer. I wanna be with Marlene, but I gotta fight. 'Cause if I don't, the planet's gonna die. So I'm gonna keep fightin'! But, I'm worried 'bout Marlene. I really just wanna be with her…always. See? I'm goin' in circles, now." 

His speech was nearly heartbreaking, and I could tell the Elmyra, Aeris' stepmom, felt the same way because when she spoke she seemed close to tears as well. Or, maybe that was because her own daughter had just been kidnapped. Or at least I assumed she had been becasue that's what happened in the game. But, then Cloud and Aeris had never shown up at Don Corneos', so I wasn't sure how much the knowledge applied. "I think I understand what you're saying. She's upstairs asleep, why don't you go and see her."

Without another word Barret was hurrying up the stairs, barely even sending me a glance as he ran passed. The room he finally entered wasn't the same one I had recently occupied, it was the next one over. Which I assumed belonged to Elmyra. With no reason to just stand at the top of the stairs I made my way down them. I saw everyone from the group sitting around the kitchen table. They all glanced up at me when I entered, probably assuming I was Barret and wondering why I was back so soon. 

"Umm... so what happened?" I asked cautiously, the situation was already rather awkward. No one really knew how to greet me when I walked down the steps, so I decided to initiate a conversation myself, hoping that the answer would be that the tower had stayed up and that the people of Sector 7 were safe.

"You mean with the tower?" Tifa asked.

I nodded, and this time Cloud was the one to answer. "It's still standing. We managed to stop Reno at the last minute."

I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. I knew what would have happened if that tower fell and this alternative was so much better. "So all the people are still safe in their homes. And, Seventh Heaven is alright and everything?"

"Well, not really. It wouldn't have been safe for them to stay there, in case Shinra tried anything again. AVALANCHE doesn't think they will, but you never know with Shinra." Tifa was about to continue but Cloud cut her off.

"You may not know Shira, but I do. The do everything to get a product. They won't gain anything from knocking down the tower now because AVALANCHE isn't there for now. Sector 7 should be safe for a while." He said all this with complete certainty. He did work for Shinra before, even if a bunch of his memories will all lies. Whether 1st class or just as soldier, it's still working for Shinra.

I nodded again. When Cloud spoke he was really hard to argue with because nearly everything he said he seemed to be positive about. He said it like there was no room for argument. Tifa glanced at Cloud, seeing if he would continue and then looked back toward me. "Anyway, we had everyone evacuate Sector 7. Just incase. They all scattered throughout the slums. We probably won't be going back to my bar for a while."

"Any idea what we're going to do now? I heard you guys talking about Aeris. She was the one that ran past me while I was going up the tower. Oh." My eyes lit up with realization, "What about Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse?" I could feel the room tense up with my question, and my breath caught in my throat as I realized the answer I was going to recieve. But, all three of them? That couldn't have happened. There was no way.

"Biggs and Jesse are okay. There somewhere in Sector 3." Tifa finally said, not meeting my eyes, but even with these words the atmosphere of the room didn't change at all. I glanced over at Elmyra, who hadn't said anything this entire time. Her eyes were filled with tears. How could a woman who hadn't even known them be upset? She really was one the the most kind hearted people I had ever met.

"You can't expect every battle to not have any losses." Cloud finally said. I turned cold eyes on him. 

"How can you say that? They were teammates, and they were friends. You can't just act like it was nothing. He died and you don't even care!" My chin quivered and I bit my lower lip in an attempt to stop myself from crying. My eyes welled up with tears, but I refused to let them fall, at least not while there was anyone around. I would cry at night where no one could see.

"If I got upset about every person I knew that died..." He trailed off his eyes drifting over towards the wall, his face turned so that I couldn't see his expression, but his intended meaning had been clear. He had witnessed a lot of death throughout his entire life. He looked back at me, his expression unreadable. "What does getting upset do. It's not going to bring him back. You just have to get over it and move on."

I was left unsure of what to say. My eyes drifted to the ground, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes. I couldn't help but feel empathetic toward Cloud. Sure, his words had been cold, but hadn't it been within reason. Back in the real world I had never lost anyone, not even a grandparent, so I couldn't even begin to compare myself to him. 

About a minute later Barret came rushing down the steps, which was extremely noticeable becasue the ground shook with nearly every step. He failed to notice the awkward situation as he walked towards Marlene and quietly asked, "Sorry, but can you take care of Marlene a bit longer?"

Elmyra nodded a small smile on her face. She was probably happy that she wouldn't be alone since Aeris was currently at Shinra headquarters. "Sure. But promise me that you'll come back to her. Don't get yourself killed."

"Don' worry. I'll be back for her." With that said he left the house and Cloud, Tifa, and I quickly followed. Barret glanced over at me, "You comin' too?"

"Yeah, I think I will." I said, and then realized it would probably seem kind of strange for someone with no connection at all to Aeris to want to go on her rescue mission. I looked at the three of them meeting all their eyes before glancing at the ground, "I don't really have anyone else to go. So, yeah, I'll come" I said, and then quickly added, "If you'll let me."

"I'm coming too." Tifa said and everyone looked over her. She knew Aeris no better than I did.

"We're going right to Shinra Headquarters. You gotta be prepared for the worst." Cloud said. I couldn't really tell if he liked the idea of us coming or not. Maybe he was just indifferent about it. 

"I know, but right now, I feel I have to push myself to the limit. If I stayed here, I'll go crazy." Hm, I watched Tifa out of the corner of my eye. She kind of stumbled over her words, like maybe they were only have true. Maybe she didn't really care about rescuing Aeris or 'pushing herself to the limit' as she did about staying with Cloud, the man that I was fairly certain he was in love with.

"So, where is Shinra headquarters anyway?" I asked curiously as the four of us left Aeris' house. I just followed them, not wanting to seem like I knew exactly where I was going.

"On top o' the plate, but there ain't no trains that go up there."

"Well, let's just go to Wall Market. We might be able to find something there." I winced as Tifa said this. That was where Don Corneo was, and my memories of him were not that great. I'd rather avoid that place and that man as much as possible, but I knew that the only way to get to the top of the plate was to go through there, so I bit my tounge and kept quiet.

The walk to Wall Market was a lot longer than it seemed in the game. We had already been walking for at least a half hour. Tifa was talking to Barret about Aeris, telling her how she had asked her to go save Marlene, giving Barret even more reason to rescue her. I caught bits and pieces of their conversation, but for the most part I wasn't listening since I already knew the story.

With the two of them talking Cloud was left walking by himself, and so was I. Heading back toward Wall Market really brought back memories of when Cloud and I had been there. Why hadn't he shown up to rescue us like he had in the game? Where had he even been? Well, I wasn't going to answer unless I asked. I walked a little bit faster to match my stride with Cloud's. "So, umm... I'm guessing Tifa told you about what happened to us?"

"Yeah, she told me all about Don Corneo and Shinra."

How was I supposed to even ask him about this? I couldn't just be like oh by the way you were supposed to show up as our rescuer dressed as a woman. Why didn't you show up? I had really been wanting to see that too. The image would have been priceless, but for whatever reason he hadn't shown up. "Where were you during all that? Like, after the reactor and everything?"

"Barret and I blew up the reactor, but we got separated. I met Aeris and brought her back to Sector 7 with me, even if I hadn't intended to. I never should have gotten her involved in all this. Tifa and you still weren't there, but then Shinra showed up..." He stopped becasue I knew the rest of the story. That was the point when Tifa and I had shown up.

But, that still didn't explain anything. Why had he gone back to Sector 7 instead of coming to Wall Market. "Oh!" I said aloud with realization. Cloud glanced over at me with a look that said what's-wrong-with-you. "Nevermind." I said, waving my hand in a forget about it motion. The only reason Cloud had shown up in the game was becasue he saw Tifa getting taken away. That hadn't happened this time, so Cloud had no reason to go. All becasue I had caused Tifa and I to get kidnapped. I really could change a lot of stuff that happened this time around, for better or worse. I would have to keep that thought at the back of my mind.


End file.
